List of Balloon Defects
Although the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a sight to be seen worldwide, things don't always go according to plan. Given the cold and often times treacherous weather late November brings, it can lead to many defects with the Parade's signature icons. Below, you will find a presumably complete and comprehensive list of balloon defects throughout Parade history. Balloon Defects 1934 * Eddie Cantor's left shoe was deflated 1935 * Donald Duck's head struggled to stay upright during his first Parade appearance. This was caused by the weight of the head compared to the lanky neck, in addition to gusty winds. 1939 * Uncle Sam started leaking helium, but was quickly repaired and returned to fine-flying form. 1946 * The Baseball Player's shoes were deflated. 1960 * The Happy Dragon sprung a leak before the Parade, but was quickly repaired in time for his Parade debut. 1973 * Astronaut Snoopy's stomach was missing a substantial amount of helium. 1976 * One of Bullwinkle's left fingers were deflated 1977 * Kermit the Frog's left arm was bent due to its skinny nature and the weight of his hand. 1978 * Linus the Lionhearted's muzzle was slightly deflated. * One of Underdog's left fingers were deflated. 1982 * Throughout the route, the Superman balloon's right hand leaked helium, and the hand eventually ended up completely deflated. 1983 * Due to the old age of the balloon, Bullwinkle's right hand was deflated. 1984 * During his final Parade appearance, Underdog's left hand was deflated * Raggedy Ann's collar was deflated. 1986 * Baby Shamu's right flipper was low on helium. * One of the Starfishes bottom left points was deflated. 1988 * Baby Shamu lost a large amount of helium during her march. * One of the Pink Panther's handling lines caused his inner tube to look partially deflated. 1989 * Quik Bunny's drum was low on helium * The paint on Woody Woodpecker's left eye was scrapped off, possibly due to the snow that year. 1991 * The Pink Panther's tube was once again partially deflated * Because of the weight asserted by Bart Simpson's skateboard, his legs looked partially deflated. 1992 * Bart Simpson's left hand was slightly deflated. * Spider-Man's head was slightly deflated. 1993 * Snoopy's left earmuffs and ear were a little deflated. * The Pink Panther's left wrist was deflated. * Quik Bunny's left wrist was additionally deflated. * The tip of Snuggle Bear's stocking was missing a small amount of helium. 1994 * Snoopy's left ice skate was deflated. * Due to the balloon's faulty stitching, Bart Simpson's neck was deflated. * The Pink Panther's left hand was deflated. * The Cat in the Hat's left hand was also deflated. 2004 * Mr. Monopoly's right arm was bent. 2005 * Big Bird's tail was missing a small amount of helium. * In addition to his left leg getting gouged by a tree at the start of the Parade, Strike Up the Band Barney‘s nose was also messed up. * The Bottom of the Ice Cream Cone balloon was deflated 2007 * The stress put on the Scooby-Doo balloon's handling lines caused his muzzle to deflated. 2008 * Beethoven's muzzle was also deflated, possibly due to the balloon's old age 2011 * The paint on Snoopy's left paw started flaking. * Due to the balloon fabric wearing out, Charlie's legs were missing a small amount of helium. 2012 * During preparations, Pikachu's ears were over-inflated. As a result, the expanding helium caused his ears to burst just before entering Columbus Circle. * SpongeBob's right hand and shoe lost helium overnight, most likely due to the balloon being unable to hold helium because of its old age. * Buzz Lightyear's helmet had a dent in the bottom. Although, it is common misconception that the helmet tore open. * As with the previous year, Charlie's legs were partially deflated. Due to this, the balloon was given a redesign for the next parade. 2013 * The right ear of Finn's hat was partially deflated due to the inflation net. * The paint on lower points of both Red "Believe" Stars received major paint damage after scrapping on the pavement due to the strong winds. They were later repainted and fixed the following year. 2016 * The Trolls Caterbus' antennas were bent during the parade. This would also occur during the balloon's next appearances. 2017 * Scrat's arms were bent after reaching Central Park South, most likely due to the pressure exerted by the handling lines. * One of Greg Heffley's handling lines caused his right earmuff to deflate. * Red's right eyebrow was deflated. 2018 * A chamber inside the Pillsbury Doughboy had busted during preparation, leading to minor damage on the balloon's mouth. Despite this, the balloon still appeared in the Parade. * Jett's right arm was slightly bent. * One of the Yellow Macy's Stars had lost 15% of its helium due to the frigid temperatures. * The Elf on the Shelf was seen with the brim on his hat slightly deflated, mainly due to the cold weather conditions. * Hugg's right ear was left deflated during preparations. 2019 * As with the previous year, Jett's right arm was once again bent due to the windy conditions. Additionally, the right arm was also low on helium, and looked a bit deflated due to this. * The star emblem and brim on Harold the Fireman's helmet were slightly bent. * One of the Go Bowling pins was having trouble standing upright along the route, and had to be supported by two handlers. * One of the cherries on the Ice Cream Cone was deflated. * Much like 2017, Greg Heffley's earmuffs were deflated due to the pressure exerted by the handling lines. * Due to the strong winds, Sam and Guy’s necks were bent, and were struggling to straighten up. * The stems on Wiggle Worm’s antennas were deflated, possibly due to the stress put on the balloon during the overnight gusty winds. * The surviving Blue & White Macy's Star was somewhat low on helium due to the pressure of the strong winds, and looked a bit deflated because of this. * SpongeBob’s left leg was bent. * The Elf on the Shelf's left sole was deflated due to the pressure of the handling lines. * The surviving Gold Macy's Starflake was also somewhat low on helium for the same reason as to that of the Blue & White Macy's Star. * The Red & Green Candy Cane was a tad bit bent, possibly due to the pressure of the handling lines as well as the strong wind gusts. Category:Parade Trivia